Saturday night marked the fifth practice of training camp for the Buffalo Bills, and it may have been the offense's worst showing to date. During one portion of the 11-on-11 drills, the Bills' offensive line allowed eight sacks, including two from Mario Williams, who beat Erik Pears with ease.

Quarterback EJ Manuel wasn't particularly sharp, and that made it difficult for the offense to get going. It was the first practice with live hitting, so that may have played a part, but Saturday was the culmination of a week where the offense often has lagged behind the defense.

Aside from a few big plays during the one-on-one drills in practice, the Bills fans who again packed the stands at St. John Fisher College didn't have a whole lot to cheer about. When Manuel did have time to throw the ball down field, he wasn't particularly accurate, and most of his attempts were shorter passes.

It's still early in camp, so it's not time to panic yet, but the Bills' offense needs to start showing some life if this team is going to snap its 14-season playoff drought.

"I know the offense is going to get a hold of that for tomorrow and come out ready to go," defensive end Jerry Hughes said.

Fortunately, the struggling offense wasn't the only thing of note on Saturday.

1. Jimmy Gaines adding to the competition at linebacker

The Bills are exploring all options when it comes to replacing linebacker Kiko Alonso, who tore his ACL prior to training camp. On Saturday, that included giving undrafted rookie Jimmy Gaines some reps with the first team at weakside linebacker. Gaines didn't look bad, either, particularly during the brief live-hitting portion of practice.

2. Punting competition heating up

It appears Brian Moorman is holding off Jake Dombrowski in the Bills' punting competition, at least for now. Moorman had a few punts of 60-plus yards on Saturday and has shown a bit more consistency than Dombrowski. Dombrowski has shown off a big leg thus far in camp, so this battle isn't quite over yet.

3. Fred Jackson out with a lower leg injury

Fred Jackson was the most notable absence for the Bills on Saturday night. He suffered a lower leg injury on Friday but isn't expected to miss much time, according to coach Doug Marrone. Jackson's absence allowed the Bills to get a good look at Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon in more prominent roles.

"Every rep matters, every rep counts," Brown said. "The more times you get in, the better feel you'll get for the offense and that's important going into the season."

Safety Kenny Ladler was also out with a hamstring injury, and tight end Tony Moeaki is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

4. Thad Lewis has the edge in backup quarterback competition

Early in training camp, Marrone has made it known that the backup quarterback job is up for grabs. Jeff Tuel started off camp practices strong, but Thad Lewis appeared to be getting the majority of the reps with the second-team offense on Saturday. Lewis is the more experienced player and has shown the ability to push the ball down field more consistently than Tuel.

5. Bills fans have another strong showing

Three night practices, and three strong showings from the Bills fans at St. John Fisher College. There weren't many empty seats in the stands Saturday, and while the crowd didn't have a whole lot to cheer about, fans were there until the final horn.

Some might have thought the opening night excitement would fade, but in terms of attendance, there is still plenty of fan support for the Bills.